Dr. Hohner, theatre physician at the Vienna Royal Theatre, murders his mistress, the star soprano when his jealousy drives him to the point of mad obsession. Ten years later, another young singer reminds Hohner of the late diva and his old mania kicks in. Hohner wants to prevent her from singing for anyone but him, even if it means silencing her forever.
Boris Karloff
Dr. Friedrich Hohner
Susanna Foster
Angela Klatt
Turhan Bey
Franz Munzer
Gale Sondergaard
Luise
Thomas Gomez
Count Seebruck
June Vincent
Marcellina
George Dolenz
Amato Roselli
Ludwig Stössel
Carl Baumann
Jane Farrar
Jarmila Vadek
Ernö Verebes
Brunn
Lotte Stein
Mama Hinzl
Scotty Beckett
The King
William Edmunds
Leon, Theatre Concierge
Maxwell Hayes
Count Romburg
Dorothy Lawrence
Miss Metzger
Bella Lewitzky
Dancer (Uncredited)
Jack Richardson
Musical Conductor (Uncredited)
Polly Bailey
Cleaning Woman (Uncredited)
Stuart Holmes
King's Consul (Uncredited)
Eddie Polo
Stagehand (Uncredited)
Paul Power
Reporter (Uncredited)
Ernie Adams
Man in Audience Next to Franz (Uncredited)
Gertrude Astor
Woman in Audience Behind Franz (Uncredited)
Grace Cunard
Backstage Maid (Uncredited)
William Desmond
Backstage Technician (Uncredited)
Francis Ford
Backstage Attendant (Uncredited)
Louis Payne
Audience Member (Uncredited)
Anne Cornwall
Audience Member (Uncredited)
Rudy Bowman
Audience Member (Uncredited)
William H. O'Brien
Audience Member (Uncredited)
Helen Gibson
Audience Member (Uncredited)
Maurice Costello
Audience Member (Uncredited)
Harry Mayo
Audience Member (Uncredited)
Richard Neill
Audience Member (Uncredited)
Eric Mayne
Audience Member (Uncredited)
Barry Regan
Audience Member (Uncredited)
Director
George Waggner
Adaptation, Screenplay
Curt Siodmak
Screenplay
Lynn Starling
Theatre Play
Edward Locke
April 17, 2016
8
A very enjoyable romp from the 40's about unrequited love driving a man to obsession, selfishness and murder, and you really can't go wrong with Boris Karloff, particularly from this vintage. This is especially enjoyable if you're a fan of opera at all. New York City-born director Waggner, most famous for 'The Wolf Man', is decent at this sort of thing, though he got relegated the last phase of his career to TV-work (such as the 60's 'Batman').
Karloff's first colour film (and in Technicolor, no doubt), it's also famous for using the same sets as 'The Phantom of the Opera', made the previous year--the oldest surviving movie set. I came across this in an excellent 5-film pack of Karloff-starred thrillers from the late 30's and early 40's. Both the boxed set and this individual film are highly recommended to fans of the star's work.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00